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As the weekend arrived, Arisa's excitement grew. It was finally the day of her date with Zul. That morning, as she prepared to leave, her mother's voice echoed through the house.
"Please don't return home too late, my dear," her mother called out.
"Understood, I won't be back late," Arisa replied, her cheeks already tinged pink with anticipation.
Glancing around, Arisa noticed someone was missing. "Where's Elly-chan? I haven't seen her since I woke up," she asked, curious about her younger twin sister's whereabouts.
Her mother explained, "Elly-chan woke up early today. She said she was going to a friend's house." A hint of curiosity crept into her voice as she added, "I wonder what she's up to there."
With a playful wink, her mother couldn't resist teasing, "By the way, Arisa-chan, good luck on your date with Zul-kun."
"Oh mom, this is so embarrassing!" Arisa exclaimed, her face now burning bright red.
As Arisa headed for the door, she called out, "Mom, I'm leaving now."
"Take care of yourself," her mother responded, watching her daughter leave.
Once alone, Arisa's mother found herself lost in thought. I can't believe my daughter is dating now, she mused. Her mind then wandered to her other daughter. Come to think of it, where did the other one rush off to so early today? She couldn't help but wonder about Elly's mysterious departure.
Zul stood waiting in town, anticipating Arisa's arrival. Unbeknownst to him, Elly was hidden in nearby bushes, having followed him earlier. This explained her early departure from home. Disguised with sunglasses and carrying toy binoculars, Elly watched intently.
Suddenly, Arisa appeared. "Zul-kun!" she called out.
"Oh, Arisa, over here!" Zul waved.
Huh, onee-chan!? Elly thought to herself. What is she doing here? She's dressing so cute today, and Zul is looking good too. Is she the friend Zul mentioned earlier?
"Did you wait for me for so long?" Arisa asked.
"No, I just arrived here too," Zul replied.
"Oh, you look so cute today, Arisa," said Zul.
"Thanks, Miku prepared this for me," Arisa responded. "You too, Zul, you look so good in those clothes."
"Oh, thanks," said Zul, blushing.
Huh, she's hanging out with onee-chan today? Elly said. I knew it. Why didn't they invite me?
Suddenly, Miku appeared in the bushes beside Elly, also with toy binoculars and a disguise. Without noticing Elly, Miku spoke while adjusting her binoculars, "Of course they didn't invite you. They're going on a date today."
"Eh, date?" Elly replied spontaneously.
"Eh!?" said Miku, looking at Elly beside her. "Eh!?" They stared at each other. "You... you, what are you doing here?" Elly demanded.
"You too, what are you doing here, with that getup?" Miku asked, shocked.
"I was following Zul today. He's been so suspicious recently," Elly explained.
"I was following your older sister for today. I want to see how their date progresses," Miku replied.
"Date... date, you said!? When did those two start going out together? I never heard about it," Elly said, curious.
"You're so pathetic, Elly. You don't even know your sister is going out with Zul-kun? I think you're immature compared to both of them. Are you jealous seeing them together now?" Miku said smugly.
"What did you say? Jealous!?" Elly said, upset, raising her voice.
Suddenly, Zul turned back to look at the noise they made, and both Miku and Elly immediately hid in the bushes.
"Umm, no one is there!? But I think I heard some voice earlier," said Zul.
"What's wrong, Zul?" Arisa asked.
"Oh, it's nothing. Maybe I just misheard something. Let's go, Arisa," said Zul, offering his hand to Arisa. Arisa, with a bright red face, took Zul's hand, and they started walking together, holding each other's hands.
"Hey, lower your voice. What if they see us, stupid?" Miku said, pushing Elly's face aside.
"Ah, you're not any better," Elly replied, pushing Miku's face too. "Ah, both of them are starting to move. Don't get in my way, Miku," Elly continued, following the couple.
"Hey, Elly, wait," said Miku, following Elly.
Zul and Arisa entered the mall. They went into a clothes shop where Arisa picked up a hat to try on.
"This hat is so cute," Arisa said happily. "How do I look, Zul-kun?"
"It looks good on you," Zul said, smiling.
"Thanks, Zul-kun," Arisa smiled.
After that, they went to the arcade inside the mall. Zul pointed his finger at a Taiko drum game and said to Arisa, "How about we try playing that?"
"I'm not sure if I can play that," Arisa said hesitantly.
"Don't worry, let's play together," Zul said, giving a pair of drumsticks to Arisa while taking another pair for himself. They started playing as a duo.
"Wow, you're so good at this," Arisa said, impressed.
"Well, I always play this against Elly sometimes, but I never manage to beat Elly. After all, she's great at this," Zul explained.
Meanwhile, Miku and Elly were hiding behind a wall, stalking the couple. Overhearing the conversation, Miku turned to Elly and said, "Oh, I didn't know you were good at that game."
"Hehe, I'm always great at playing that. Even Zul accepts that I'm better than him," Elly said proudly, hearing Zul's compliment.
"That's nothing to be proud of. It's just a game," Miku retorted.
"Ah, they're moving on after finishing that game," Miku observed.
Elly, looking at a fighting game in front of her, complained, "Ah, why so quick? I just wanted to try playing this game." She then added, "Ah, why should I be following you? I'm supposed to be following Zul only."
Zul and Arisa moved to the crane game section. "Ah, that teddy bear is so cute," Arisa said, spotting a teddy bear inside the crane machine.
"You want it? I'll get it for you," Zul offered.
"Really? Please, Zul, I'm counting on you," Arisa replied excitedly.
"Leave it to me," Zul said confidently.
Zul inserted a coin and started playing. The crane managed to grab the teddy bear but dropped it suddenly. "Ah, it was almost there," Zul sighed, disappointed. He tried again but failed once more.
"It's no use. This crane game is so hard," Zul admitted.
"It's okay, Zul-kun, no need to force yourself for me," Arisa consoled him.
"But you said you wanted it, right? I can't give up now," Zul insisted.
Meanwhile, Miku observed, "Wow, Zul is trying so hard to get the teddy bear, right, Elly?" She then realized she was talking to herself. "Elly!? Where did that girl go?" Miku wondered.
In her disguise attire - sunglasses, face mask, and a cap covering her hair - Elly approached the crane machine next to Zul and Arisa's. Hey, what are you doing there? You'll ruin their date! Miku thought to herself.
Surprisingly, Elly managed to get the same teddy bear on her first try. Both Arisa and Zul looked amazed. "Wow, this person is so great at this," Zul said, not realizing it was Elly.
Without saying a word, Elly gave the teddy bear to Zul. "Huh, you want to give me this?" Zul asked, confused. Elly just nodded before leaving and returning to Miku's location.
"What's up with that person?" Zul wondered. "Anyway, here's the teddy bear. I failed to get it for you, but that person got it for you, haha," he chuckled, handing it to Arisa.
"Ah, thanks, Zul. I would've been okay even if you didn't get it, but you tried so hard for me earlier," Arisa said, smiling and hugging the teddy bear. Zul replied with a smile.
Back with Miku, Elly returned. "Hey, what were you doing earlier? You suddenly interrupted them. What if your cover had been blown?" Miku scolded Elly, a little upset.
"I couldn't help it. I couldn't just watch them waste money and time on that crane game” said Elly.
"I see, you actually worried about them, huh!?" Miku said with a smirk at Elly. "Ah, shut up. It's not your problem," Elly replied angrily.
Suddenly, Zul's stomach growled. "Oh, this is so embarrassing. Why did my stomach suddenly growl at this time?" Zul wondered.
"Hehe, you seem hungry, Zul. Don't worry, I brought some lunch for both of us today," Arisa said.
"Huh, you brought it? But I was planning to treat you to eat after this," Zul replied.
"Don't worry. Keep your money for something else later," Arisa insisted.
"If you say so, I can't help it. Let's find a place to eat this," Zul agreed.
They moved to a park near the mall and found a bench with a table. Arisa unboxed the bento she had carried in her bag.
"What did you bring?" Zul asked curiously.
"Here, my special homemade Tamagoyaki," Arisa said excitedly, showing her lunch.
"Homemade? You mean you made it, Arisa?" Zul asked, surprised.
"Yes, I made it with my mother's help," Arisa explained.
"Wow, it looks delicious," Zul admired.
"Here, Zul, open your mouth and say 'Aaaa'..." Arisa said, wanting to feed Zul with her chopsticks.
"Arisa, what are you doing? This is so embarrassing. What if people we know see this?"Zul’s ears turned red
"Don't worry. Nobody's here. It's just us right now. Let me feed you, okay?" Arisa said, a bit nervous.
"If you insist, then... bon appétit," Zul said, opening his mouth as Arisa fed him the tamagoyaki.
"How does it taste? Is it okay?" Arisa asked nervously.
"Delicious! So delicious! What is this taste?" Zul exclaimed, amazed.
"Hehe, I'm glad you like it," Arisa smiled.
"That's really delicious. How did you get the recipe?" Zul inquired.
"Well, my mother taught me. She learned it from my grandmother, who learned it from her mother too," Arisa explained.
"Oh, so it's a family recipe? That’s really nice,” Zul remarked.
"Okay, Arisa, it's your turn. Open your mouth," Zul said, wanting to feed Arisa too.
"Huh, you want to feed me too?" Arisa asked, surprised.
"Of course. It's not fair if you're the only one feeding me," Zul insisted.
"If you say so, then... Aaa..." Arisa said, eating what Zul fed her. "Hmm, it's delicious..." she mumbled, munching with a bright red face.
Meanwhile, Miku was watching them from nearby bushes. Oh, they're feeding each other. This is so romantic, she thought. Also, that tamagoyaki looks so delicious. I should ask Arisa to make some for me later.
Then Miku noticed Elly moving out from their hiding place. "Where are you going? Don't you want to watch them more?" Miku asked.
Elly sighed, her chest tight. “Watching them happy together was... confusing. Better to leave.
Also, I'm hungry too. It's almost my lunchtime, so I'm going back home. See ya," Elly said, leaving Miku and heading back to her house.
"Geez, that girl doesn't understand about dating at all," Miku sighed. Seeing both Arisa and Zul happy with their date, she thought, I think I better go home too. Their date is progressing smoothly, nothing to worry about.
She then decided to return home as well, leaving both of them together alone.
After Elly and Miku returned to their houses, Zul and Arisa continued their date. About 10 minutes later, a group of their classmates happened to pass by, unnoticed by the couple.
"Huh!? Is that Zul and Arisa over there?" one of the classmates exclaimed.
"You're right! What are they doing? They're feeding each other food, and now they're about to move while holding hands," another observed.
"Are they going out now? Is it possible they're on a date right now? Ah, this is so romantic," a third classmate gushed.
The group then left, still discussing what they had seen.
Meanwhile, back at home, Elly had just entered the living room and said, “I’m home,” and then flopped onto the sofa.
"Oh, you're back already? You left so early today. How was your day with your friend?" her mother asked, under the impression that Elly had gone to a friend's house.
"Oh, it was a good day. We played so much today," Elly replied, not revealing the truth about stalking Zul and Arisa's date.
"Mom, I'm hungry. Do we have something to eat?" Elly asked.
"Please wait a moment. I'm still preparing lunch," her mother responded. "But just take a look at the table, my dear. There are some tamagoyaki that your sister made earlier for you to taste. You left too early today, but she said it was for you."
"Huh? Onee-chan made this for me too?" Elly said, surprised.Wait... this is the same tamagoyaki that Zul and Onee-chan ate on their date, she thought.
Elly took the tamagoyaki and began eating it. "Umm, delicious. As I expected, her cooking is so delicious," she said.
"I see you seem to like it, Elly-chan. Your sister's cooking has improved recently," her mother said with a smile.
At the same time, Zul and Arisa arrived at the aquarium. "Wow, it's so cute," Arisa said, watching the jellyfish swimming.
"It may be cute, but it can sting us," Zul cautioned.
They then walked around the aquarium, looking at the various creatures in the water. "There are a lot of different animals in here," Arisa observed.
"Yeah, pretty amazing," Zul replied.
"Zul, look at that fish. It has a funny face," Arisa said, chuckling as she pointed at a stingray.
"You're right. Its face does look really funny," Zul agreed, also chuckling.
After that, Zul and Arisa continued exploring the aquarium, moving from one exhibit to another. They marveled at the vibrant colors of the coral reef display and the graceful movements of the sea turtles.
As they approached the large tank housing the sharks, Arisa's eyes widened with excitement. "Zul, look at the size of those sharks! They're huge!" she exclaimed.
Zul nodded in agreement, equally fascinated. "I've never seen sharks this close before. It's incredible."
Zul and Arisa then made their way to the gift shop. The shop was filled with all sorts of aquatic-themed merchandise, from colorful t-shirts to intricate seashell decorations. Arisa wandered around, her eyes lighting up at all the adorable items.
Zul noticed her pausing in front of a display of plush toys. Among them was a particularly cute dolphin plushie that seemed to capture her attention. Without a second thought, Zul picked it up and handed it to her.
"Here, this is for you," he said with a warm smile
Arisa looked surprised and delighted. "Oh, for me!? Thank you so much!" She hugged the plushie tightly, her face beaming with happiness.
She held it to her chest, her eyes sparkling like the ocean exhibits they’d just seen.
After that, Zul paid the plushie for Arisa.
After exploring the aquarium, Zul and Arisa decided it was time to head back. Zul walked Arisa home.
As they were walking, Zul turned to Arisa and asked, "So, how did you enjoy our date today?"
Arisa blushed slightly and replied, "It was the best date ever! I had so much fun with you, Zul-kun."
"I'm really glad to hear that," Zul said with a smile.
After a moment of comfortable silence, Arisa spoke up again. "Zul, can I ask you something?"
"Of course. What is it?" Zul responded.
"Well, I was wondering..." Arisa paused, mustering her courage. "Why did you choose me instead of my younger twin sister, Elly?"
Zul looked a bit surprised by the question, but then he replied, "Arisa, you have a certain feminine charm and calmness about you that Elly doesn't quite have. I've always felt drawn to that side of you."
Arisa's said "But Elly and I are twins. Aren't you closer to her in some ways?"
Zul shook his head. "It's true that Elly and I have gotten close as friends, but my feelings for you are different, Arisa. There's just something special about you that I can't quite put into words."
Arisa smiled softly, her heart fluttering at Zul's words. "I'm... I'm really happy to hear that, Zul-kun."
Zul and Arisa arrived at Arisa's house. Zul turned to Arisa and said, "Well, I guess this concludes our date for today."
"Thank you for going on a date with me today, Arisa," he added.
Arisa smiled and replied, "You're welcome, Zul-kun. I really enjoyed going on this date with you." She held the dolphin plushie he had given her. "And thank you for this cute plushie. I'll keep it and take good care of it."
"Okay, Zul. I'm going to head inside now. See you tomorrow at school," Arisa said, walking towards the front door.
Suddenly, Zul stopped her by gently pulling on her clothes. "Arisa, wait," he said, and then he leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
Arisa was shocked by Zul's sudden action, and both of them blushed deeply.
"See you tomorrow too," Zul said quickly, rushing away with a bright red face. Arisa stood there in silence, her mind racing and her hand touching her lips, wondering, Huh!? Did he just kiss me earlier? What is this? It's so embarrassing.
Just then, the front door opened, and Elly poked her head out. "Ah, onee-chan, welcome back," she said.
Elly noticed Arisa's flushed face and asked, "Wait, why is your face so red? Are you sick or something?"
"I-I'm okay, Elly-chan. I'm not sick," Arisa stammered, trying to cover her blushing.
"Really?" Elly said, placing her hand on Arisa's forehead to check her temperature.
Arisa gently pushed Elly's hand away. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry about it."
Elly looked a bit puzzled but decided not to pry further. "Oh, okay. If you say so," she said, stepping back inside the house.
As Elly closed the door, she wondered to herself, I wonder if something happened during her date today... Ah, never mind, it's not important to me.
The next day, Arisa and Elly arrived at school and walked together down their corridor. When they reached Elly's classroom, Elly said, "Okay, onee-chan, I'll stop here. See you."
"Ah, see you too," Arisa replied, continuing to her class.
As she walked, Arisa remembered Zul kissing her the day before. Why am I still thinking about yesterday's kiss? This is so embarrassing; my heart is racing. How will I talk to him today? she wondered, blushing.
Entering her class, she noticed Zul looking out the window, blushing as well. Arisa walked to her seat and greeted him. "Zu... Zul-kun... Go... Good morning," she said, stammering.
"Oh, Arisa... good... morning," Zul replied, also stammering. Both of them blushed, looking at each other.
"Umm, thanks for yesterday. I was really happy with you," Arisa said, trying to ease the awkwardness.
"Really? I'm glad to hear that," Zul responded.
Arisa then noticed her classmates whispering and looking their way. Umm, why are they whispering and looking here? she wondered.
Miku approached Arisa with a worried expression. "Arisa-chan, this is bad. Our classmates found out about your date yesterday," she said urgently.
"Eh...!" Arisa exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. "How... how do they know about it, Miku-chan?"
Miku grimaced. Damn it. Is this what happened after Elly and I left yesterday?
"Some girl in our class happened to see you two together holding hands yesterday," Miku explained.
Arisa turned to Zul, panic evident in her voice. "What should we do now, Zul-kun? Everyone knows we're a couple now!"
Zul steadied himself. “Please calm down, Arisa. There’s nothing to worry about.”
But before they could discuss further, a group of their classmates descended upon them. "Hey, hey, Arisa-chan, is it true you went on a date with Zul-kun yesterday? Are you two going out?" they asked eagerly.
Blushing furiously, Arisa replied shyly, "Umm, yes... we're going out."
"Wow, this is so romantic!" the girls exclaimed, clearly amazed.
Not to be left out, a group of boys approached Zul. "It's not fair, Zul-kun! You're going out with our class genius?" they said, envy clear in their voices.
"When did you two start going out?" one of them asked.
Zul said "Since last week, after I got involved in that fight earlier."
Suddenly, one student had a mischievous idea. "Since both of you are going out, why don't you kiss right now? Show us the proof!"
"Yes, right, please kiss her...!!!" another boy chimed in.
Soon, a chant started up among the male students: "Kiss, Kiss!"
Arisa, overwhelmed, hid behind Zul. Miku shouted, “Hey, stop it!” but the classmates ignored her.
Zul snapped, his tone sharp. “We’ve already done it, so don’t dare lay a hand on her."
A stunned silence fell over the classroom. “Wait, what?!” They gasped in shock at Zul's bold statement.
Taking advantage of their momentary speechlessness, Zul grabbed Arisa's hand and led her out of the classroom to give her a moment to calm down from the embarrassing situation. Zul brought Arisa to the rooftop to calm their minds.
"I can't believe our classmates found out about our date," said Zul. After a moment, he added, "Arisa, you've been silent since earlier. What's wrong?"
"Nothing happened, but I'm still too embarrassed about you revealing our kiss yesterday to our classmates," said Arisa hid her face in her hands.
"Ah, sorry about that. I couldn't hold my anger before; they were so annoying. I'm truly sorry about that," Zul apologized.
"It's okay, Zul. I'm fine with it, but how do we return to our class? I'm worried they'll make fun of us again," said Arisa, a bit worried.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted their conversation. "I see, both of you have already kissed," said Elly.
"Elly? Why are you here?" Arisa asked.
"When did you arrive?" Zul asked, surprised.
"Yo, nice conversation, huh, Zul, onee-chan. Both of you didn't notice my presence," Elly said with a grin.
"I heard about that date news. It reached my class too," Elly continued. "After I heard that, I immediately went to your class to check on your situation, but when I arrived, both of you were gone."
Elly laughed. “I shut them up. They won’t talk about it anymore.”
"Shut them up? What did you do? Are you..." Zul began, suspicious.
Arisa finished his thought, glaring at Elly, "Don't tell me you beat them up and used violence like usual."
“No, no, it's not like that... I just told them that if they kept talking about it, I might beat them up. I swear!” Elly said, scared by Arisa's glare.
Arisa sighed in relief. “Really? That’s good. I thought you were going to beat them up.”
“Geez, onee-chan, why do you think I would do that?” Elly said, pouting.
"It’s about time for our first lesson. Let's go, Arisa," Zul said, noticing the time.
"Ah, you're right. Elly, you too, return to your class now," Arisa told her twin.
"I know, I know. Don't worry, I'm not going to skip class, you know," Elly replied.
The three of them made their way to their respective classes to start the school session that day. As Arisa and Zul returned, their classmates were no longer talking about their date, having been warned by Elly.
After school, Zul was walking home together with Elly since Arisa was staying at the school library to study with Miku.
"It's been a while since we walked home together, right?" said Elly.
"You're right. Recently, I've been walking with Arisa because I want to study together with her," Zul replied.
"Elly, thanks for helping me and Arisa today, even if it makes me feel embarrassed because everyone now knows that I'm dating Arisa," Zul said gratefully.
"Don't worry about that. I can't stand anyone embarrassing my sister and you, that's why I warned them earlier, haha," Elly chuckled.
"Hey, Zul, about you kissing my sister, when did you do it? I never saw you do it inside the mall or at the park near the mall when you guys were eating together," Elly inquired curiously.
"Huh, wait, how do you know all the places that I've been with Arisa?" Zul asked, confused. Then, realization dawned on him. "It can't be... hey Elly, don't tell me you were stalking me and Arisa?"
"You caught me, huh... tee-hee," Elly admitted sheepishly.
"Also, the one who gave me the teddy bear at the crane game machine, that was you, right?" Zul pressed.
"Oh, you figured that out too. So unexpected, Zul, tee-hee," Elly giggled.
"You...!! That's why I felt someone was following both me and Arisa that day," Zul exclaimed, knocking Elly's head lightly with his palm.
"It hurts," Elly complained.
"You want to know where I kissed Arisa, huh? How about we make a bet on a game at the arcade? If you win, I'll tell you about it, but if I win, you'll treat me to ice cream for two," said Zul.
"Oh, you're trying to challenge me, huh?" Elly grinned. "Alright, I accept your challenge. Bring it on! Remember, I've never lost to you."
“Today’s the day I finally break your winning streak!” Zul declared, grinning with confidence.
Both of them chuckled and headed to the arcade to settle their bet.
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To be continued……………………Futagomonogatari V
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